It is well known that all forms of digital entertainment are experiencing an explosive growth in popularity. Whether it takes the form of music, video, games, etc., the demand is growing and is not likely to reach a peak at any time soon.
Of course, the buying public demands value for its dollar. Thus, there is constant pressure on sellers to find ways of enhancing the value of their products. However, there is a fundamental limitation with most of these sorts of products: they offer only one “version.” That is, once a conventional music CD has been played, it will forever thereafter yield the same listening experience: each tune will be heard from start to finish in exactly the same sequence. Similarly, once a movie has been viewed, it will subsequently yield the same viewing experience each time, i.e., the plot moves along a linear path and repeat viewings will always yield the same sequence of scenes and events. This property tends to limit replay value of linearly performed works such as music movies, and videos and, hence, limits the value these sorts of products might have to the consumer as is reflected in the amount that the seller can expect to charge.
Those of ordinary skill in the art will know that this problem has certainly been recognized previously and that considerable effort has been expended in making these sorts of products “interactive” in order to increase their appeal to the buying public. For example, DVD movies now allow the user to selectively view different linear segments (or choose a viewing position) under direct control of the user. Similarly, it is relatively common to find that audio CD's might offer alternative mixes of the same musical work which can be selected under the direction of the user. Finally, in the case of computer games, it has long been the practice to provide for “random events” within the program which are presented to the user in an unpredictable fashion. However, even in this case the underlying story moves along in a linear fashion and the user is only temporarily inconvenienced (or assisted in some cases) by these random events.
Of course, the common element in all of the foregoing is that in the past the focus has been on providing the user with the capability of adjusting the listening/viewing experience to suit his or her taste. In each case, it is the user that ultimately controls the end result and, as a consequence, the user is never really “surprised” by the product, originating as it does in his or her own preferences.
Heretofore, as is well known in the music and video arts, there has been a need for an invention to address and solve the above-described problems. Accordingly, it should now be recognized, as was recognized by the present inventor, that there exists, and has existed for some time, a very real need for a method and apparatus that would address and solve the above-described problems.
Before proceeding to a description of the present invention, however, it should be noted and remembered that the description of the invention which follows, together with the accompanying drawings, should not be construed as limiting the invention to the examples (or preferred embodiments) shown and described. This is so because those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains will be able to devise other forms of this invention within the ambit of the appended claims.